


A cup of Stabilitea

by BrightestSun



Series: Au Yea August [17]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Gen, a quiet moment of contemplation, au yea august, coffee shop AU, cute stuff, master Fu is everyone's therapist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2019-06-30 07:39:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15747276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrightestSun/pseuds/BrightestSun
Summary: Master Fu runs a small teahouse. He allows Marinette to air her worries and thoughts. He helps give her hope and encourages her to keep going in spite of the seemingly endless task of stopping Hawkmoth.Surprisingly, the second patron of the day is a mysterous and troubled Fashion tycoon. Can Fu's gentle tea and gentler words pierce through to his petrified heart?AU Yea August 20 - CoffeeshopA teashop is very similar to a coffeeshop right?





	1. Chapter 1

Marinette scratched her nail against the rim of the tea mug. The empty tea- and coffee-shop was usually all she needed to focus her thoughts, but the familiar magic of the spices filling the small space, the sounds of the quiet store, and importantly, the sage advice of the only person whom she could talk to about her entire life, bug and girl, he was the only one who knew both.

 

“I just… we’ve been at this for over a year now and we’re no closer to stopping Hawkmoth” she sighed over the counter. Master Fu hummed, looking away from her, instead focusing on the slow rising on a thermometer in a teakettle.

 

“I understand your frustration Marinette. But you are doing everything you can, no one can expect more from you.”

 

She shook her head “of course they can! They expect me to keep them safe!”

“And isn’t that what you’re doing?”

 

“It just all feels so temporary! I stopped three akuma attacks yesterday, before lunch! It’s not getting better, in fact it might be getting worse!”

 

Fu chuckled “Hawkmoth is creating more akuma, but I think this is a good sign. He is getting desperate, he too feels like his fighting is bearing no fruit for his efforts.”

 

“So we’re in a stalemate? We’ll end up doing this forever?” Marinette sighed.

 

Fu shook his head smiling “it is a war of attrition my dear, one of you will inevitable make a mistake that will turn the tides. And in that you have a big advantage.”

 

“and what’s that?”

 

“why a handsome and amazing teacher” he said with a wink, causing Marinette to smile exasperated at him.

 

“I’m not sure that’ll help much against Hawkmoth in the long run.”

 

“oh on the contrary my dear.” He took the kettle off the heat and poured it, the sweet scent of oolong filling Marinette’s nostrils pleasantly. “I’m a small piece of the puzzle. Chat Noir is there for you to lean on, as is your friends. The truth is that every man, woman and child in Paris is rooting for you, they support you and they look up to you. In your time of need you’ll find that you can never fall far without a pair of hands catching you. A man like Hawkmoth…” Fu sipped his tea, shaking his head “a man like that has no one, when he’s knocked down he’ll fall apart for good.”

 

Marinette ruminated for a moment, taking in his words. She once again felt the familiar healing warmth of the little shop, or rather of the little man who ran it.

“Thank you Master Fu, that does help. I just wish there was more I could do you know?”

He smiled at her sympathetically “do you know why I started this store?”

 

“to make ends meet?” Tikki interjected between mouthfuls of honeycomb pie.

 

Fu chukled “if it was about money I would have gone back to my job for the bank. No, I’m running this place because it gives a few Parisians a place to rest their minds after a long day of work and akuma attacks. An oasis for the mother who worries about her children being transformed into monsters, the daughter unable to forget the face of her fathers transformation. A recluse of well…” he motioned towards the sign behind him, bearing the name of the shop;  _ Stabilitea _ . “It’s my way to help others, and you Marinette, you inspire us all to help our neighbor. If you want to honor what we do for you, you have to accept that you do enough, and accept the help that we then offer you.”

 

Marinette smiled at him “thank you. If ever I face an enemy that can be defeated with wonderful tea, I’ll be sure to give you a call”

He smiled “I’m working on a new blend, I’ll call it  _ Vitalitea  _ for the hero who needs an extra kick.”

 

“Then I hope I’ll soon have the opportunitea” she chuckled. Marinette caught the time from the clock on the wall behind the counter. She sighed, gathering her things and waving goodbye to her mentor, thanking him for the tea and the advice. She flipped the sign on the door from closed to open, then began making her way home.

 

She knew her troubles were still far from over, but somehow it felt like she was ready to face tomorrow, and the day after. On her way down the street she froze, Adrien’s father was walking down the street right towards her! She managed to hide her face poorly with her bag, walking awkwardly past him. 

 

He’d be a scary man even without being the father of her massive crush, she didn’t know how to deal with him seeing her in a weird part of town while she should technically still be in school. 

 

Thankfully he didn’t seem to catch her, or at least not recognize her. Marinette sighed in relief as he disappeared into Stabilitea, allowing her to walk home, planning how she could make a good impression on her future father-in-law the next time they met, that way she wouldn’t end up in the same situation again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel has a cup of Stabilitea

Gabriel Angraste stood inside the quant store, taking in the sights and the smells. Aside from the quirky looking owner, not a soul grazed the place with life.

 

“are you open?” he asked skeptically, reviewing the empty rows.

 

“yes of course, we just opened a minute ago” the owner smiled.

 

“on 1:47?”

 

“yes. A friend required my advice so I closed the place down for a few minutes.”

 

“that’s not a good strategy for growing your business.”

 

“perhaps, but sometimes it is more important to focus on growing your soul. Or your friend’s in this case.” He smiled widely at the tall, scoffing fashion designer. “so what can I get you?”

Gabriel sighed “I like having an afternoon cup of coffee at Café De Leon every Tuesday and Thursday at 1:30. I’ve unfortunately had to find today that it has closed down. Surveying the area it seems I’m stuck with this place or Starbucks.” His lips curled in discontent, as though just naming the store chain brought him disgust. 

 

His eagle gaze scanned the store, the shelves behind Fu and finally the man himself, an arid superiority and a look that conveyed an expectation of disappointment was plastered on his face.

 

“I do make excellent coffee, but I would not be a true artisan if I did not recommend you try our specialitea’s, you may find that their soothing properties might do you some good.” The short man’s smile was unwavering in the face of Gabriel’s stern, unamused gaze. Their eyes battled for a moment before Gabriel sighed, sitting down before the counter.

 

“What could it hurt”

 

“That’s the spirit” Fu began spooning green powdered tea into a cup, his trained eye carefully measuring the amount. He ignored Gabriel’s pouting expression, he was clearly not a fan of Fu starting before anything had been clearly ordered.

 

“and tell you what, if you don’t like it, you’ve no reason to pay” Fu said, placing a simple brown cup in front of the skeptical man.

 

“that’s not...” Gabriel started, silenced by Fu’s interjection “a good way to run a business, yes I’m aware.” He chuckled. Gabriel simply shook his head at the old man’s musings.

 

“You seem stressed. What bothers you so?” Master Fu asked.

 

“I’m getting the sense that this is not going to be my new place to have a quiet cup of coffee”

“perhaps not, but you may find that you quite like a talkative cup of tea.

 

Gabriel smiled despite himself “perhaps. Though I doubt it.” He sighed “I’m working on an important project. A project which I hoped would be my legacy, would put everything right. The more I work on it though, the more I find obstacle upon obstacle. I feel as though I’ve made it to the finish line, and yet one last challenge stands before me, and it’s turning out to be an impossible problem to fix!” 

 

He drummed his fingers on the table in frustration “I feel like I’ve tried everything, tackled it from every angle. I’ve gotten close so many times, but everyday it’s back to square one. I’ve been making no headway in over a year now, and I’m beginning to wonder if I’ll ever really make it. If in the end, this was all just for naught.”

 

Master Fu listened patiently, nodding his head sympathetically “you know, this is not the first time I’ve heard something like that today. And I’ll tell you roughly the same thing I told her. You cannot solve your problems with willpower and effort alone, it takes support and teamwork to solve life’s greatest challenges. Who will you turn to, when you finally admit you cannot do this alone?”

 

Gabriel scoffed “there’s no one who can help me. I simply have to work this out myself.”

“I’ve heard that many times. More times than I can count really. However, I’ve never known it to be true in the end. The man who tries to break a door down with his forehead will always end up with nothing more than a concussion, and a wall still standing.”

 

Gabriel smiled despite himself, the mental image seemed more apt than he’d like to admit. “perhaps I could stand to use an outsiders perspective. I’ll at least give it some thought.”

The fashion designer’s slender hands picked up the cup and blew on the warm tea, savoring the aroma for a moment. He could scarcely remember what newly brewed tea smelled like, but the pleasant earthly scent brought images of long forgotten memories into his mind. He 

looked at the tea curiously, then around at the store.

 

“hold on… how long has this store been here?” he asked.

 

“not long under this name. however before I took it over it had been here under the name  _ La Créativithé _ . Used to cater pretty exclusively to young writers and poets. Still does come to think of it, but that’s less intentional now” he chuckled.

 

“La Créativithé… yes… I used to come here. It looked a bit different, but it’s mostly the same.” A rare smile cracked his lips as he looked around the store with newfound interest, recalling the days and evenings he’d spend, sketching his early designs and sharing ideas with other young artists over smoke and coffee. “I can’t believe this place still exists.” He muttered, “this is where…” his smile fell as a small sting of pain pierced his heart, he remembered why he rarely reminisced, “nevermind” he said, placing the cup down on the table, getting ready to leave the haunted place.

 

“where you met the person who caused you heartbreak.” The small man said calmly, not meeting Gabriel’s eyes. Gabriel paused, looking confused at the proprietor.

 

“how did you know?” he asked sharply.

 

“the look on your face tells the whole story. You needn’t leave, this place will not hurt you.”

Gabriel shook his head “then you do not know the whole story. Those memories hold nothing but pain.”

 

“maybe so, but running away from them will only allow them to haunt you further. Tell me about your lost love. You may find it more fruitful.”

 

Gabriel sighed before taking a sip of the tea in front of him, it was earthy but sweet and as the man had promised, strangely calming.

 

“I suppose. Since I’m apparently trying new things today.” He looked at the palm of his hand, more specifically the ring still on his finger, running his thumb thoughtfully over it, thinking back on the days where he still knew what being happy felt like. “I was 19 when I moved to Paris. I didn’t have anyone or anything, just a sketchbook and ambition. I spend most of my time waiting tables, pouring drinks and on the rare occasion that I could find a moment to myself, I’d sit here, right in that booth over there, sketch and exchange ideas with likeminded dreamers. It was here that I met Emilie, a passionate soul.” He paused for a moment, conjuring up an image in his head of his lost love.

 

“I was determined but shy back then, I knew my ideas were good but I naïvely thought that if I simply designed something good enough, people would take notice.” He shook his head “Emilie loved my designs and she convinced me I needed to stop trying to perfect them and instead just get them out there! She was a real firecracker, she helped me establish connections within the world of fashion. At one point she literally kicked in the door to Marcus Frovilier, the fashion king of the time’s office because he’d rejected my designs, and  _ demanded  _ he take a second look.” He chuckled “the amazing thing is that it worked. She was that kind of woman.”

 

Gabriel sighed deeply, proudly but sadly. Knowing that the wonderful memories would be forever soured by what happened next. “after we both found success, me as a designer, her as an actress and my muse, we soon got married. We were on the fast track to the good life, especially after the birth of our son.” 

 

The image of a young Adrien’s joyful expression fired through Gabriel’s mind, he couldn’t recall the last time he’d seen his son really smile. 

 

“My obsession with gathering influences from all over the world grew as fast as my bank account. My wife and I would go on lengthy trips to India, Nigeria and especially China, to explore long forgotten styles and expressions which fueled my creativity. Emilie often brought aide to the poorer parts of the countries we visited, while I rubbed shoulders with the historians, the archeologists and the rich. It wasn’t surprising then that after many trips to unknown countries, to unknown slums and alleys, that she managed to get hurt. A young man had threatened her with a knife and stolen her jewelry, he’d managed to cut her on her arm, nothing too serious, or so we thought. The unsanitary conditions of the area and the lack of proper medicine and care caused her condition to rapidly falter. When we finally got to a proper hospital she was already in a terrible state. In the end she did not recover…” Gabriel closed his eyes, remembering the image of his wife, sickly and dying on a bed in a strange country, remembered her telling him “I’ll pull through this Gabriel… Adrien is waiting for me at home… I need to get back to him…”

 

Silence lingered in the empty shop for a small eternity. The only movement the slow heaving of Gabriel’s shoulders, the trailing of tears softly running down the side of his face.

 

“I should have been there for her… I could have saved her if I’d been a good husband, helped her fight for the downtrodden instead of sitting in my palaces, laughing with my kings and looking down. I should have been by her side every step of the way…”

 

“it’s hard to say. I don’t trust a person who has no regrets, but you must also learn to separate the past from the present.”

 

Gabriel scoffed “there’s nothing for me in the present… my life… everything I ever lived for is in the past…”

 

“and your son?”

 

He paused “Adrien… I’ve robbed him of his mother. How can he ever be truly happy without her? Whenever I look into his eyes I see only the longing for the mother I took from him.”

Master Fu shook his head “the boy lost his mother, it’s truly a shame. But that he should lose his father as well would be a tragedy. The longing you see in his eyes is not for her, but for you. He needs you, and you need him.”

 

“I don’t deserve his forgiveness.”

 

“It’s not about forgiveness. It’s about a boy who needs your attention. You can blame yourself all you want, but you cannot allow it to keep you from being with him. Remember what we talked about earlier? You need help with your project and you need to take care of your bright and talented son. Clearly there’s a simple solution to both of your problems.”

“include Adrien in my work? No that’s impossible, he’d never understand!”

 

“You should have more faith in him. From what I hear, he’s the type to kick in the door to fashion kings, perhaps he’s exactly what you need.” The old man smiled at Gabriel, who was struck with silence. Bringing Adrien into his… work, it was impossible! And yet…

 

“I’ll… you’ve given me a lot to think about.” He admitted impressed.

 

“I look forward to seeing you Thursday” Fu smiled with a glint in his eye.

 

Gabriel chuckled “maybe you just might.” He placed 20 Euro on the counter and stood, moving to the door. He paused while standing with one hand on the door handle, turning to the short old man “perhaps you should rename this store to Theratea… uh… Tearapy…” his face was frozen in a strained smile for a second before he cleared his throat and left the store in a hurry.


End file.
